Have to bottle feed dc2 - bf dc1 so no idea what I am doing. Any advice?

[TheArmadillo]

Cos of medication and health probs I am going to be bottlefeeding dc2 from birth.

Am going to check with midwife at next appt what to do wrt taking in bottles/formula when give birth.

I have ordered a Tommy Tippee closer to nature microwave sterilised and bottles (6 of them plus 1 tiny one free with steriliser).

If I have to take in my own stuff is it worth getting the premade cartons for when we are in hospital?

I have never made up formula (ds never had it) and really would like some advice on all things to do with bottle feeding. Also is their any other equipment I need - like a bottle warmer or stuff for out and about.

Completely clueless. Any advice good.

HV should be very good for advice, and otherwise am bumping for you (I also have no experience, but I have read a lot over the years online that would probably see me thru).

THanks - have found out a bit more online. Couldn't think where to look to start with.

Will ask midwife for advice on tuesday as well.

Most hospitals will give you a premade bottle with a sterilised teat so you don't have to take all your equipment in with you.

The hospital should be able to give you premade formula and sterilised teat.

NHS also have a really good pamplet explaining how to sterilise and how to make up formula with the current guideline and also alternative ways if need be.

I usually recomend a separate kettle for baby - saves you having to worry about it being reboiled just as you're about to use it. I full with fresh water and reboil 1/2 hour before each feed. Or sometimes will full a flask up and use for feeds, flask I use keeps water above 70 degree for at least four hours. Then I mix formula and cool in jug of water(with ice if I need it extra quick).

I prefer using Aptimal. I find SMA quite thick and Cow and Gate a funny colour. But they are much the same.

Have some cartons at home for when you get home - and for very quick feeds and going out.

For feed warming out, most places will give you a jug of hot water or I also have a device which plugs into the car and then straps round the bottle to warm it. TBH if you can avoid warming the bottle too much then it makes things easier. My DCs would be fine with room temp, so if you take a carton you don't need to worry too much.

A more upright feeding position I find helps prevent wind to a degree.

If your hospital don't supply feeds then you can but (at a cost) those premade bottles with a sterilised teat in Boots.

The feed tins have instructions for making up bottles on them.

You will also need a bottle brush, if you don't have one.

Why do you need another kettle? boil the water, pour into the bottles, place bottle caps over the neck and wait to cool to correct temperature.

I like having other kettle as usualy I work in houses with many people, i usually boil kettle and wander away to do something(usually eat biscuit or use the loo) and sometimes by time I've got back someone else has already reboiled kettle. And then I have to start again and by that time baby can be pretty hungry.

Thanks for these.

The steriliser I have bought comes with bottle brush and cleaning stuff so should be alright for that.

WRT to the second kettle we have a lodger but no one in our house drinks hot drinks so should be ok as kettle not used very often (should probably clean/descale it before baby born).

Thanks for the ideas for the flask and ice. I will get a flask adn wonder if you can get cool activate icepacks (like the heat ones where you press a button).

If baby could take room temp that would be great.

I'll stock up on some premade cartons for when we first get home as well - that sounds good.

Thanks for all this - very useful.

TheArmadillo - please tell me to butt out, but I know from my own family circle, that quite often people think that the medication they are taking means they can't bf - and it turns out that they can. I'm not sure how you can double check - but there was a poster on here recently who was talking about a website with up to date info.....Hope I'm not intruding.

I was going to say what seeker said - often people get misinformed about medications. If you're happy to say what meds you'll be on, I'll see what I can find out. (That's assuming, of course, that you would like to BF this baby?)

Google the breastfeeding network - they have a drugline which you can phone for advice on specific meds, if you wish to find out more. However you end up feeding, good luck and congratulations!

I have spoken to specialist (who specialises in my probs in pregnant and post natal women - these are the people who advise gps etc on the medication wrt to pregnancy and breastfeeding). It's not a good idea as the stuff does pass into the breastmilk. Plus other health probs as well mean it is not a good idea.

I have checked it out and discussed it.

Cool. It's just a common scenario that the docs are less aware of the pharmacological properties of drugs than pharmacists are, and people have been caught out frequently. Sorry, hope we didn't offend.

Ahem, cough, cough well, most medicines pass into breastmilk, that's not an obstacle in itself to breastfeeding. It's when the concentration in the breastmilk is enough to post a risk to baby that makes breastfeeding unadvisable (I am not ignoring your other issues, just commenting on the medication exposure side).

So I'm not pressuring you! Just want to make sure that your doctor really has advised you correctly on that point, a lot of them are clueless about how concentrations in the mother's blood supply translate into dosage levels to the breastfed infant.

I think I would just keep talking to MWs and HVs and everyone I knew until I built up a confident picture of how to do everything relevant to FF. A good routine seems to be essential. I have often read that all formula milks in the UK are pretty much the same, so may as well try the cheapest one first.